The present invention relates to liquid fuel burning torches in general, and more particularly to torches of this type which are especially suited for use in illuminating patios and similar outdoor locations.
Torches of this type are already on the market and are known, for instance, as so-called tropic luau torches. In one conventional construction of such a torch, there is provided a substantially barrel-shaped container which has a chamber for accommodating a quantity of the liquid fuel and includes a socket-shaped mounting portion extending downwardly from the bottom wall of the container, and a filling neck provided on the top wall of the container and bounding a filling opening. Then, a substantially cup-shaped closing member is removably mounted on the filling neck and has a central aperture through which a wick extends from the interior to the exterior of the container. When the closing member is removed from the filling neck, an original or a replacement wick can be introduced into the central aperture of the closing member, so that the latter can subsequently act as a wick-supporting member. Furthermore, the liquid fuel can be poured into the internal chamber of the container through the filling neck. Then, the closing member is slid over the filling neck while the wick is simultaneously introduced through the opening of the filling neck into the interior of the container. Once this procedure is accomplished and the length of the wick sticking out of the aperture of the closing member is adjusted as desired, the torch is ready to be lit.
This conventional luau torch also includes a snuffer cap which is primarily used for extinguishing the flame when the operation of the torch is to be discontinued. This snuffer cap is so dimensioned that it can be easily slid over the covering member and will then substantially prevent access of atmospheric oxygen to the flame or to the portion of the wick which extends upwardly of the closing member. Thus, the flame is extinguished, and excessive evaporation of the liquid fuel from the wick is avoided so long as the snuffer cap is present on and around the closing member.
In order to avoid misplacement of the snuffer cap and to keep the latter handy for use whenever desired, it is connected to the container by a flexible elongated member, especially a chain. In the aforementioned conventional construction, the chain is connected to the snuffer cap at one of its ends, and to the closing member at its other end. The closing member has an outwardly extending flange which is juxtaposed with the top wall of the container when the closing member is mounted on the filling neck, and the other end of the chain is connected to this flange. This has the disadvantage that the seating of the closing member on the top wall of the container is less than perfect, so that an amount of vapors of the liquid fuel can escape between the flange and the top wall of the container into the environment, Moreover, the closing cap of the conventional torch is held in position on the filling neck by an inward bulge of the circumferential wall thereof which frictionally engages the filling neck. Thus, an interface through which an additional amount of the evaporated fuel can escape is created between the external surface of the filling neck and the internal surface of the circumferential wall of the closing member. Finally, the snuffer cap of the conventional torch is merely slid over the closing member, so that still more of the evaporated fuel can escape through the interface between the snuffer cap and the closing member when the snuffer cap is mounted on the container.